News - Soap Buzz

45
September 6th, 2011
BREAKING NEWS: Susan Lucci has turned down deal from Prospect Park to stay with AMC online!

Photo Credit: Steven Bergman

Big developments this morning in the move of All My Children online via Prospect Park. Susan Lucci (Erica Kane), the most recognizable name of All My Children and all of soaps has reportedly turned down the deal offered to her by Prospect Park, and as of now will not be part of the series when it moves to the web! This in turn has put in question when Prospect Park will launch the series online.

According to Deadline.com, Lucci’s offer was for her salary identical to what Lucci currently makes at ABC. But Deadline also reported that Susan tried to ask for more money, while also asking to work fewer hours, and get a commitment for a primetime series from the company!

In light of this development, it appears Prospect Park may reevaluate their short-term strategy for the two soaps and put its muscle behind the higher rated One Life to Live. Remember the original plan was to launch both soaps online in the first quarter of 2012!

On-Air On-Soaps will continue to bring more on this developing story! A Pine Valley-less Erica Kane, hard to fathom! Perhaps the parties could reach a revised deal and still have Lucci stay with AMC? Stay tuned.

I have lost a great deal of respect for Susan Lucci hearing of her being offered the same salary and wanting more as the soaps are launched into an unknown format on the internet. “The Fans Are On Fire” are words we heard repeatedly as the fans worked tirelessly from the MOMENT the cancellation was announced. Greed took AMC off of ABC and it seems Greed will take the MAIN Character off of AMC… Sad news for soap fans… Will AMC survive without the character who has been with the show the longest… will other actors follow Lucci’s lead? Only Time Will Tell…

Why have you lost respect for her? For crying out, she gave you and millions of other fans 41 years of her life playing Erica Kane. You may not agree with her decision to leave the show and that’s okay. But please, don’t be an ingrate because of a decision she has made after all theses memorable decades she has gave us on AMC.

I assure you she didn’t give anyone anything. She got paid tremendously for what she has done…that is hardly giving anyone anything.

And for the record, I am glad Prospect Park stood their ground. She thinks its okay to ask for more because they are an entirely different group. She should have been thankful that they were willing to pay her a similar amount that ABC was giving her.

While Erica Kane is a Pine Valley icon, an Erica-less AMC is totally not a deal breaker for me. I’m appalled that Prospect Park would feel this means they need to “put its muscle behind OLTL,” like AMC is a failure now. Many other AMC actors say they do want to move to Prospect Park!

I do like to watch Erica Kane in action, but I would still watch without her. Of all of the stars, she was the one that I thought would be most agreeable to join Prospect Park. I must say that after all that we have done to try to save the shows, I am a bit disappointed in Susan Lucci.

completely agree with you. it’s sad to see ego and greed have come into play, after all of the effort that has gone in to keeping AMC alive. I can’t say that I wouldn’t watch AMC if Lucci wasn’t on….I mean, AMC has other talent that can be utilized. Bring back Julia Barr and let her be the leading lady of AMC. The only thing that I suggest for PP is to focus on the writers that you have in charge, over at AMC….because that’s where the biggest problem stands.

And on another note….Lucci has been going around doing interviews expressing how torn up she is about the cancellation and how she can’t believe it’s come to this, and even thanking the fans for all of their support….and what does she do? she takes all of that love and support and spits in back into the faces of the fans…because she wants more money and special primetime deals. I think it went to her head a bit when the women of The View told her that she would be great on Desperate Housewives……well guess what Susan? That show is in it’s last season because it’s been cancelled. PP, move the show back to New York, get David Canary and Julia Barr back….and you’ll be just fine.

Mary Jo Maltbey replied September 9th, 2011 at 12:17 am

Wow… Did you READ the article on Deadline.com. The reporter says they “hear”. They did not say it is CONFIRMED, or Susan Lucci has given her statement…I hope you people are not with the any of the groups fighting to save the soaps…who needs Brian Frons, it’s fans like you that are hurting the fight EVERY DAY. Now you are attacking SUSAN!!! Idiots..Just go watch your reality shows. OH, and there will be MORE rumors. How many is it going to take until you get it…This is exaxctly what ABC wants. You shouldn’t even be allowed to watch any soap opera.

SUSAN there are still a lot of us out here keeping the fight going, as we have been dealing with rumors since April 14th. The Media….huummmm.
It is bad enough fighting Disney/ABC..soo tired of these sooo called soap viewers. Glad to see there are some other’s on here who won’t let Frons fool them.

Torrey replied September 9th, 2011 at 9:56 am

I don’t know who the hell you think you are calling me an idiot!! It’s one thing to read someones post and disagree, but when you sink to the level of a child and start taking things personally that shows your true maturity. I am allowed to post my opinion on any “Rumor” that I choose to. And I haven’t done Brian Frons any favors, because I continue to watch every day. How stupid will you feel when it is confirmed?

I too would continue to watch AMC w/out Lucci. I like her, but it is NOT a deal breaker for me. There are some others, if they are gone too are not a deal breaker for me. For starters, I would love to see Griff, Cara, Tad, Opal, Krystal, Jake, Kendall etc. stay with the show. But definately it is not a deal breaker if Lucci leaves.

Although I agree with some, she probably has skepticism. It really hasn’t been written in stone about this whole PP deal. I will believe it when I see it. All of a sudden now she is not going to go there and we hear from others that no one has even been approached by PP yet. I seriously wonder if it is at all true on any of it anymore. Sorry but when I see it in front of my eyes only then I will believe

I have to agree because I too, have lost a lot of respect for Susan. This is not the time for greed! Imo, the show can still thrive without her and its only a matter of time before she comes crawling back. I don’t understand the comments however that this is PP’s fault somehow. I don’t see how Susan’s greed has anything to do with them. All I’ve been reading from the other actors has been positive and they seem very excited to join this new venture. Sorry Susan, but I’m very disappointed in you. I think the naysayers need to look at the fact that PP is so dedicated to this show that they offered her the same salary she’s currently making. That proves a lot in my book.

I’m 100% okay with watching AMC without Susan Lucci. For years and years, I’ve skipped the scenes with Erica. I’d actually be happy if AMC continued without Lucci. I’d love the writers to give all that screen time to an actor/storyline that I actually like and enjoy watching.

Even though I haven’t really enjoyed Erica in ages, I’ve had no ill will towards Lucci. But if her refusal to take THE SAME MONEY to be on the show online results in the end of AMC, I will definitely lay a lot of the blame at her feet.

I love AMC! If anyone from PP is reading this, trust me when I say that AMC can and will be fine without Susan Lucci.

I absolutely would watch AMC w/o Susan I usuallly forwarded thru her parts anyway. She really doesn’t know how to act, she comes off fake. PP needs to reconsider, AMC will be just fine without Susan!!!!!!

Oh my gosh what is the world coming to? No panty hose no lip gloss no over acting no being the center of attention no going thru 12 marriages! The egos of these people kill me my mother use to say it was like watching a bad high school play and I used to get upset with her I think she was right as always!

Not sure if I believe this one. This is huge news and the news was picked up ONLY by Deadline.com? Not buying it! I can’t imagine Susan being greedy especially after all the fans fought for this. She IS Erica Kane. No one else can play that part. She knows that!

I knew it would go to her head when amc was cancelled and there was all this talk of her being on desperate houswives, she got so much attention from the mainstreem media, and now she doesn’t want to be on amc? come on its so obvious she want primetime ect.. hate to brake it to her but she bacame famous only for being nominated 100 times and for loosing 99 times out of 100, I honestly don’t know why she’s concider daytime biggest star? other then for loosing so many times at the Emmy’s .

I do NOT believe this for a second. Lucci offered to take yet another cut in pay to keep AMC going. It sounds to me like PP may not be able to make this whole thing fly and is going to make Susan the fall guy. Please wait until there are further reports before passing judgement here. All is not as it seems with this.

I really would like to see Susan Lucci on AMC when it goes online. Erica Kane is an icon and Lucci brought the character to life. However, I also think the entertainment world sadly did not get to see in the past all of Lucci’s talent because she is so identifiable with the role Erica Kane and was loyal to daytime tv. Sure we got glimpses of her on nighttime tv and in particular movies. Her role is so strong that all anyone wanted though was Erica Kane in some guise. Lucci stayed loyal to daytime when everyone else wanted something bigger and better. And unlike most of those, she paid her dues; I hope PP can make some kind of deal where she can do the soap and prime time. That being said, people I would wait to see if this is just a rumour. Remember for months we heard she was going to Desperate Housewives and even another actress made the comment as well as one of the rags. And that wasn’t true. Please don’t pick on Lucci we don’t know all the facts. And besides the woman has been and is still promoting AMC. She deserves work on night time tv to stretch herself. She should be hurt; ABC should be finding her some work on their shows for her loyalty. She was not treate dwell at all these past years including promoting AMC when it’s cancellation was a done deal. She didn’t make the demands of Tony Geary nor does she have the ego of Eric Braeden. And she can act despite some cynics; again the problem is everyone wants Erica Kane. I do hope Lucci realizes she is a big part of AMC and without her,k her colleagues don’t that extra edge.

I don’t know if this true but, if it is, it reflects very poorly on Lucci. This probably will mean that All My Children won’t survive beyond ABC. Frankly, I think Lucci is making a big mistake. She has aged well but she is far from her prime. What other offers realistically are going to come her way?

Erica is not as crucial to the current show as she was in the past. I totally agree with the earlier poster about David Canary and Julia Barr. With decent writing, the show could work with these actors returning if Lucci was absent. However, given the risky nature of this venture combined with the loss of Lucci and some of the other strong actors (mainly Debbie Morgan), it seems likely that Prospect Park will just shelve AMC.

I reserve comment until I hear from Susan Lucci herself regarding this PP deal. Many soap opera sites that I am signed up with have stated that this news is just false rumors that started from Brian Frons camp. I PRAY they are right and we hear good news tomorrow from Susan Lucci herself that she is staying onboard with AMC!

An actor does need to look out for his/her own career, so I would not begrudge Miss Lucci for making points in negotiations or for seeing the ABC cancellation as a moment to maybe step aside and follow new avenues. All that said, I am not buying this story hook, line and sinker. It conflicts with so much Miss Lucci has said herself in the press. Erica Kane is the legacy character on ALL MY CHILDREN. Her participation in an online reboot is important to this fan, even if she signs on for a limited basis to help guide us through the transition.

I really think it’s sad when fans think they can dictate some ones life. Susan doesn’t have to stay on AMC if she doesn’t want to. Fans of All My Children/Susan Lucci certainly can show their bitterness when actor/actress doesn’t do what they think isn’t right. DO PEOPLE MAKE YOU STAY ON YOUR JOB when you may think it’s time for you to move own? If this is true and she’s not signing why not wish her LUCK and Thank her for the many years she have given to this show. And talk about losing respect for her, I have lost respect for her so-call fans and fans of AMC for their attitude of this actress who gave her all , now some want to talk negative about her.

I don’t believe the story. but if it is true it’s been great watching her these many years.
Best of luck and GOD BLESS.

I would agree with you except for Lucci’s recent comments bashing how the network and the producers handled the show in the end. She basically put all of the fault for the cancellation on them.

Lucci has every right to decide to go with the new venture or not. However, if she planned to change direction and all of this recent news is true, what exactly was her purpose in making her disparaging remarks? If she truly felt that the show had gotten a “raw” deal, I would think that she would have made the extra effort to insure that the show continued in the new forum to prove her point! If she (understandably) wanted to just pull the curtain on this AMC aspect of her career, then she simply should have smiled, commented that she was thankful for her long run, and kept her negative comments to herself.

I’m surprised at the number of people buying this story immediately without question. It could certainly be true, or certainly not be true, or more likely something in-between (i.e., true that she’s not staying but the details of her offer, or why she’s not staying, not reported accurately). But I do think some skepticism is called for.

I do have to say this much: what’s being described doesn’t correspond to the Lucci we’ve seen over any number of years, who has been a tireless cheerleader for daytime in general and AMC in particular. (Of course, maybe we never saw the real Susan Lucci. That’s always a possibility, too.) That doesn’t mean it isn’t true, but I’m surprised people are taking it as gospel with so little questioning of it. (Especially given the number of Internet rumors in the last six months to a year involving the soaps that have turned out to be totally untrue, or only partially true, or true but with some key facts left out.)

I hope Susan Lucci stays. She undoubtably is the remaining essence/core of AMC. However, the soap opera model has been forced to change and move onto new platforms, and she has to chose whether to move forward. The show has already through too many changes, and I don’t know whether the show can succeed without her when it goes online/on cable.

Susan’s made good money from AMC for years, in addition to her outside projects. It’s a shame she couldn’t be a little more humble under the circumstances and because of the potential effect of her decision on others. However, AMC can survive without her, and besides, if she doesn’t wish to continue, let them kill off Erica Kane. That in itself would be fun to watch after this pathetic performance.

I will watch AMC even if Susan Lucci retires. I wanted her to stay on but whatever she decides to do is her business and regardless I will be a fan for life. It seems that people forget that these actors and actresses are just playing characters. They are real people with real lives just like us. I hate that things have changed but I am willing to give Prospect Park a chance when and if the show still continues online.

I’m not heartbroken. Never been a Susan/Erica fan. But the fact she asked for MORE money is outrageous. I’m sure her salary is amazing, and supports her family. I think asking for more, especially in a new medium is completely selfish of her to do.

This is just to much for me! I cannot beleive all what I’m hearing about Susan Lucci. Ha. ha. It’s her choice what she wants to do, because she’s so used to making lots of money, but you would think that she was more interested in playing the part of Erica, which she loved for so many years. So maybe everything that people are hearing just isn’t true. Will just have to wait and see won’t we?

well i guess i was right all along its nothing by money to all these so alled loyal soap actors the fact that susan lucci wouldnt even give it a try just goes to prove its all about the money. You have et all your fans down ERICA your nothing more than a soap actor I feel sorry for you that you think something different

If SL and AM are not interested it could be a silver lining – i.e. an opportunity to replace them with 2 new story lines that add diversity and international interest.
Dr. David H on the other hand is critical – he has been carrying the story line for years. Special emphasis also needed to get Angie back ASAP – and possibly creating a role for Trevor St. John who is a wonderful actor. Here’s the bigger problem – getting non-tech AMC viewers online. Show will need to stream to their TV screens. Hopefully internet providers have a box that can make it easy and inexpensive. People will need instructions.

Obviously, they would never be able to put the series on a DVD –can you imagine? ‘Complete Set – Years 1 – 41. Cost: $5,000.00! (or more)’ . though some of us may pay that! haha

One thing I would LOVE to see at some time in the future: A week-long tv series of 2 hours per show, where Erika hosts and narrates ‘the story of Pine Valley’ and covers a general overview of the show, with each night covering one of the main families and tells how everyone was related…then shows various storylines of that family throughout that day’s show. I loved the weekend marathon, but again…they didn’t show all of the characters…like Benny, and some of the other memorable characters (that, duh, I can’t recall right now!). It would really be fun to see…and it would bring back all those memories of most of the various storylines for all those years.

Sorry…didn’t finish before I hit ‘send’. Then, each different day in the week, there would be another ‘family’ covered..where they would cover each character, and people they became entangled with. Oh, it would be so good! I hope someone (ABC) or the producers, or Prospect Park would consider this. I’m not sure who owns the rights to Years 1-41, though.

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